Dictionary
A•ve Ma•ri•a
Pronunciation: (ä'vā mu-rē'u), [key]1. (
italics.) the first two words of the Latin version of a prayer in the Roman Catholic Church, based on the salutation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary and the words of Elizabeth to her.
2. a recitation of this prayer.
3. the bead or beads on a rosary used to count off each prayer as spoken.
Also called Hail Mary. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.